Keto Tuna Melts With Puff Pastry

Keto Tuna Melts With Puff Pastry may just become my new lunch staple! I love these things. I've been preparing the keto pastry ahead of time so I can just whip these together whenever I have a craving..or I prepare them a day or two in advance and just re-heat them in the oven until crisp again.

These Low Carb Tuna Cheese Melts are a great filling lunch or dinner due to their high fat and protein content. I typically eat one with a side or two on their own and I'm full for hours!

Before you make these Keto Tuna Melts, I do want to talk a bit about one of the ingredients, Vital Wheat gluten. I constantly get asked if it’s keto, what it is, where to buy it, etc. So I’ve written an entire article on it you can see here to learn more.

In summary, vital wheat gluten is the protein found in wheat. It’s what creates gluten strands and provides the soft but chewy texture in bread and baked goods. Nowadays you can buy Vital wheat gluten extracted and separated from the wheat. On its own, it’s only a protein with minimal carbs attached to it.

It’s perfectly fine on a keto diet if you track the NET carbs in this recipe like anything else. The only people who absolutely should NOT consume it is those with a gluten allergy or who are celiac. If you can’t have gluten, then you can make my Keto Gluten Free Pastry instead, then follow the instructions below for how to turn that into tuna melts!

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I really hope you guys enjoy these Keto Tuna Melts With Puff Pastry!

Ingredients In Keto Tuna Melts With Puff Pastry

Vital Wheat Gluten – See this article if you’d like to learn more about it and why I love it in my low carb breads and pastries. (Not in the gluten free version)
Oat Fiber – This ingredient provides structure to the dough without adding carbs as it’s almost 99% fibre. (Not in the gluten free version)
Xanthan gum – a great way to improve elasticity in gluten-free baked goods. It’s used alongside vital wheat gluten to provide the best possible “crust-like” texture. If you do not have this ingredient you can still go ahead with this recipe but I’d recommend it if you can get your hands on it.
Almond & Coconut Flour – I use the Kirkland Costco brand of almond flour (I buy it in bulk on Amazon or at Costco itself occasionally) and this brand of coconut flour for this recipe. As I’ve noted in many of my past recipes, the brand of almond and coconut flour can affect the final outcome of the recipe because absorbency can vary depending on how the flour has been processed.
Psyllium Husks – *** ONLY USED IN THE GLUTEN FREE VERSION OF THIS PASTRY DOUGH. IF YOU ARE GLUTEN INTOLERANT, MAKE THIS RECIPE FOR THE PASTRY INSTEAD: Gluten Free Puff Pastry

Tips For Making Keto Puff Pastry Tuna Melts

If you are gluten intolerant please see my Gluten Free Puff Pastry and follow the instructions there instead of these to make your pastry dough, then come back to these instructions to turn that dough into tuna melts!
Don't over-mix the pastry dough. You want it just blended enough so you can form a rough ball and place it in the fridge. The dough doesn’t have to be perfect right away because you’ll be rolling it out several times and the butter will eventually become less “chunky” in the dough.
Your dough should seem a little dry at first but once you get rolling it, the butter chunks should moisten it more. If you find your dough still very dry, you can sprinkle a bit of cold water on it as needed to add moisture OR alternatively if you find it too wet, sprinkle vital wheat gluten as you are rolling and folding it.
If your dough rolls out messy and looks rough at first, that’s completely fine, sprinkle flour as needed and continue to follow the folding instructions. It will start to smooth out more after each layer. You can also push in rough edges slightly before rolling to help it come together.

Tools I Used To Make Keto Tuna Cheese Melts

Low Carb Substitution Guide – This is totally optional but if you like my recipes, I now have a $5 guide available with all of the substitutions I use to create every recipe on my site. You can use this to convert old traditional recipes and create new keto recipes! You can purchase it here and/or read more if you are interested. 🙂 I appreciate your support so much guys!
Nutritional Food Scale – AKA my best friend. This little buddy has been with me for over 4 years and never fails. Perfect measurements and only needs the batteries replaced maybe once a year!
Non-Stick Rolling Pin – I didn’t use this one originally for the recipe but I highly recommend it so you don’t have to constantly flour your surface and roll the dough out with wax or parchment paper!
Wax/Parchment Paper – Makes it easier to roll out dough that’s sticking to your rolling pin.
Saran Wrap – To wrap the dough for chilling

Keto Tuna Melts With Puff Pastry

Ingredients:

Serves: 5-6 Keto Tuna Melts

Pastry

5 tbsp vital wheat gluten, 50g (see above in the post for more info!)
1/4 cup almond flour, 30g
2 tbsp oat fiber, 14g
1 tbsp coconut flour, 7g
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp xanthan gum, optional, recommended for texture
1/8 tsp salt (1/4 tsp if using unsalted butter)
125g salted butter, cold
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp cold water
1 whisked egg + 1/2 tbsp water (for brushing)

Tuna Filling

~3/4 can solid white tuna, drained, 130g
2 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise, 38g
1/2 a rib of celery, finely chopped
1 small pickle, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp pepper (less if you aren't a pepper fan)
salt to taste
~1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 35g

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all of your dry pastry ingredients.
Next chop your butter into small chunks (roughly chopped, doesn’t have to perfect) and stir until the butter is coated with flour but still visible. (again doesn’t have to be perfect).
Add your cold water. Mix with a spoon until a rough dough forms.
Press the dough into a rough ball shape, wrap it in Saran Wrap and place in the fridge for 30min.
Next unwrap your dough and roll it out flat between two sheets of parchment paper. (Flour your parchment and rolling pin lightly with vital wheat gluten, repeat this whenever needed).
Fold each side of the dough inward (see photo), then turn the dough 90* and roll it out flat, squishing down the folded layers you just made. Then once again, fold each side inwards, turn 90* and roll it out flat. You want to repeat this 4-5 times to ensure layers of butter are spread throughout the dough. It will start off very rough looking but don’t worry about that! Just push the rough edges in a bit and continue repeating the process until it looks more uniform. ( If at any time your dough feels warm, place it back in the fridge or freezer for a bit to get cold again. You don’t want your butter to melt).
After you’ve rolled the dough out 4-5 times following step 7, fold it once more, Saran Wrap it and place it back in the fridge for another 30min.
While your pastry dough is doing its thing, chilling in the fridge, make your tuna filling simply by mixing and mashing all of the tuna filling ingredients together in a bowl until well combined then set this in the fridge.
Remove your pastry dough from the fridge when the 30min are up and pre-heat your oven to 400*F.
Roll out your pastry slightly to form a thick rectangle and then cut it in half. Place the other half of pastry in the fridge while you work on the current piece.
Roll out your pastry into a rough square shape, about 1/8th of an inch thick.
Cut the edges off with a pizza cutter or sharp knife to make a square (save the scraps!). Cut that square diagonally to form two triangles.
Place a spoonful of filling on one half of each triangle (as you would with turnovers) then fold each triangle from one corner to another to cover the filling.
Press the edges together then use a fork to fully seal them. Set the finished tuna melts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Repeat this process for the second half of your dough. Then put all your scraps together and roll them to form 1-2 more triangles.
Once all the tuna melts are on baking sheets lined with parchment, use a knife to pierce a hole in the top of each one, then brush them with the egg wash (1 whisked egg + 1/2 tbsp water) and bake for 20min or until golden brown and flaky. Serve warm! Enjoy your Keto Tuna Melts With Puff Pastry!

*Store these in an airtight container or a saran wrapped on a plate in the fridge and re-heat in the oven on a baking sheet at 350*F until warm*

Nutrition for 1/5th of recipe: 325 calories | 30.6g fat | 2.6g NET carbs | 15.1 protein | 3.7g fibre

Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

Keto Tuna Melts With Puff Pastry

Flaky and golden pastry stuffed with a delicious tuna melt filling. The perfect keto lunch or dinner.

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Refrigeration Time1

Total Time1 55

Course: Main Dish, Snack

Keyword: flaky pastry, tuna melts, tuna salad

Servings: Tuna Melts

Calories: 325kcal

Ingredients

Pastry

5 tbsp vital wheat gluten 50g (see above in the post for more info!)
1/4 cup almond flour 30g
2 tbsp oat fiber 14g
1 tbsp coconut flour 7g
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp xanthan gum optional, recommended for texture
1/8 tsp salt 1/4 tsp if using unsalted butter
1/2 cup salted butter cold, 125g
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp cold water
1 whisked egg + 1/2 tbsp water for brushing

Tuna Filling

~3/4 can solid white tuna drained, 130g
2 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise 38g
1/2 a rib of celery finely chopped
1 small pickle finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp red onion finely chopped
1 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp pepper less if you aren't a pepper fan
salt to taste
~1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 35g

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine all of your dry pastry ingredients. 
Next chop your butter into small chunks (roughly chopped, doesn’t have to perfect) and stir until the butter is coated with flour but still visible. (again doesn’t have to be perfect).
Add your cold water. Mix with a spoon until a rough dough forms.
Press the dough into a rough ball shape, wrap it in Saran Wrap and place in the fridge for 30min.
Next unwrap your dough and roll it out flat between two sheets of parchment paper. (Flour your parchment and rolling pin lightly with vital wheat gluten, repeat this whenever needed).
Fold each side of the dough inward (see photo), then turn the dough 90* and roll it out flat, squishing down the folded layers you just made. Then once again, fold each side inwards, turn 90* and roll it out flat. You want to repeat this 4-5 times to ensure layers of butter are spread throughout the dough. It will start off very rough looking but don’t worry about that! Just push the rough edges in a bit and continue repeating the process until it looks more uniform. ( If at any time your dough feels warm, place it back in the fridge or freezer for a bit to get cold again. You don’t want your butter to melt).
After you’ve rolled the dough out 4-5 times following step 7, fold it once more, Saran Wrap it and place it back in the fridge for another 30min.
While your pastry dough is doing its thing, chilling in the fridge, make your tuna filling simply by mixing and mashing all of the tuna filling ingredients together in a bowl until well combined then set this in the fridge.
Remove your pastry dough from the fridge when the 30min are up and pre-heat your oven to 400*F.
Roll out your pastry slightly to form a thick rectangle and then cut it in half. Place the other half of pastry in the fridge while you work on the current piece.
Roll out your pastry into a rough square shape, about 1/8th of an inch thick.
Cut the edges off with a pizza cutter or sharp knife to make a square (save the scraps!). Cut that square diagonally to form two triangles.
Place a spoonful of filling on one half of each triangle (as you would with turnovers) then fold each triangle from one corner to another to cover the filling. Press the edges together then use a fork to fully seal them. Set the finished tuna melts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Repeat this process for the second half of your dough. Then put all your scraps together and roll them to form 1-2 more triangles.
Once all the tuna melts are on baking sheets lined with parchment, use a knife to pierce a hole in the top of each one, then brush them with the egg wash (1 whisked egg + 1/2 tbsp water) and bake for 20min or until golden brown and flaky. Serve warm! Enjoy!

Notes

Store these in an airtight container or a saran wrapped on a plate in the fridge and re-heat in the oven on a baking sheet at 350*F until warm
If you are gluten intolerant please see my Gluten Free Puff Pastry and follow the instructions there instead of these to make your pastry dough, then come back to these instructions to turn that dough into tuna melts!
Don't over-mix the pastry dough. You want it just blended enough so you can form a rough ball and place it in the fridge. The dough doesn’t have to be perfect right away because you’ll be rolling it out several times and the butter will eventually become less “chunky” in the dough.
Your dough should seem a little dry at first but once you get rolling it, the butter chunks should moisten it more. If you find your dough still very dry, you can sprinkle a bit of cold water on it as needed to add moisture OR alternatively if you find it too wet, sprinkle vital wheat gluten as you are rolling and folding it.
If your dough rolls out messy and looks rough at first, that’s completely fine, sprinkle flour as needed and continue to follow the folding instructions. It will start to smooth out more after each layer. You can also push in rough edges slightly before rolling to help it come together.